U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,659,029; 4,757,950, 4,783,018; and 5,046,675 illustrate the most pertinent art relating to this invention.
These patents show how a cutting tape can be passed through a guideway underneath a travelling web of paper, perhaps 10 to 20 feet or more wide and be attached to the far side of an empty spool while the operator remains on the near side Of the spool. These patents teach the use of mechanical arms to receive a cut end of the tape with adhesive on the tape, and to push the cut end into contact with the empty spool which winds the tape helically around the spool, cutting the paper web as it does, and wrapping the oncoming web around the empty spool. Processing difficulties have arisen to indicate the need for improved procedures for handling and treating the tape so as to perform the cutting operation more efficiently.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved system for treating a tape to make it suitable for use as a cutting tape, and for handling it so as to perform the cutting of the paper web efficiently. It is another object of this invention to provide an improved system for storing the tape temporarily before it is used to cut the paper web. Still other objects will appear from the more detailed description which follows.